Review of Reformed Means Missional

As a man who loves reformed theology the title alone peaked my interest. I could not wait to get my hands on a copy of this work, seeing that I am a MDiv student and part of a church plant this book as a whole was very intriguing. This work was not very long and was not extremely difficult to read. I would almost call this an anthology since it is a compilation of multiple works. Each author takes a different point of the importance of mission ranging from race relations to healthcare and everything in between. Being someone who reads (a lot) this work was as enjoyable to read, as it was informative. I would caution those who are not reformed to not build an understanding of reformed theology from this work alone; while to those who are reformed I would encourage you to allow this work to encourage your understanding of missions. There was not one essay that was better than another they all reach for the stars while being grounded in solid theology. This work is a great read for anyone who loves missions and/or reformed theology. It makes a great intro into understanding how missions impact a whole community in all of its differing aspects. I received a copy of this work in exchange for a fair and balanced review.

Review of One Year to Better Preaching

One year to better preaching is a book that new pastors can find helpful. Pastors who have been in the game for a while will also find some things that will give them a new tool or remind them of one they had forgotten about. Overdorf did a good job in coming up with 52 different activities for the preacher to try. This work is not one I would recommend you sit down and try to read cover to cover; it is more useful as a reference tool.  There is a specific format he follows which works for the most part. He gives us a short story about the topic, then he offers an exercise to work on what he has introduced and then he has a section where people have tried it giving their testimony.  The testimony sections become a bit much after you get pass the first several chapters.  This book is not overtly large and not short by any means, it come in around 300 pages that is separated into 52 different lessons. Something else that was helpful was after certain topics he would list additional materials for the reader to review.  I was given a copy of this work in exchange for a fair an honest review.